Number of the day

14

That's the dress size of the average American woman. More than half of them are plus-size - often classified as 14 to 34 - and retailers are targeting them with new fabrics and form-fitting styles to attract the younger generation. Hot Topic's Torrid line and Fifth & Pacific's Lucky Brand are among the retailers selling clothes to women who want to be just as fashion-forward as their skinnier sisters.

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"It doesn't take much to tip us into a global recession."

Joachim Fels, chief economist at Morgan Stanley, on the world economy, which he says is trapped between outright growth and renewed recession. While stimulus by the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank has propelled the S&P 500 to its highest level since 2007, the test is whether the economy can be lifted from its stall speed. Fels forecasts 3.1 percent growth this year, though he warns it could evaporate into recession.

Heads up

The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco puts California's budget crisis under the microscope on Thursday. The noontime panel will chew over a new study of budgeting practices in six large states including California, New York and Texas. Participants include former Secretary of State George Shultz, ex-Schwarzenegger adviser David Crane, consultant Lenny Mendonca of McKinsey & Co. and municipal bankruptcy lawyer Karol Denniston. Randy Shandobil of the UC Berkeley journalism school will moderate.